Hopefully, Brownsville's teachers and parents will speak truth to their students and children, correcting the false notions created by the sanitizing of our history by folks like Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis and others of that dishonest ilk.
Unfortunately, the Smithsonian Institution has caved to the President's requests and quietly removed references to his two impeachments from a prominent exhibit on the American presidency, a move that comes amid growing concerns over the Trump administration’s far-reaching efforts to reshape how American history is presented in the nation’s cultural institutions.
The board, previously on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, outlined Trump’s 2019 and 2021 impeachments, events that made him the only U.S. president to be impeached twice. The references had been covered in September 2021 with a temporary sign reading “Case under redesign (history happens*),” and were removed entirely in July 2025.
While the Smithsonian attributed the change to a routine review of “legacy content,” critics say the removal is anything but routine. It comes months after President Trump signed an executive order aimed at eradicating so-called “improper ideology” from federally funded institutions, including the Smithsonian. The order calls for exhibits and programs that emphasize “American greatness” while eliminating what the administration characterizes as divisive or anti-American narratives, chief among them, historical examinations of racism, slavery, and civil rights.
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| by Jim Barton |
Trump’s executive order, issued earlier this year, mandates strict oversight of federal cultural institutions. It includes funding restrictions for programs that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); orders the restoration of monuments to Confederate leaders; and installs new board members committed to advancing what the order calls “proper ideology.”
Among the museums singled out for criticism in the order were the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum, both accused by Trump of promoting narratives that “divide” Americans along racial or ideological lines.
In a statement defending the Smithsonian's changes, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said, “Unfortunately, for far too long, the Smithsonian museums have highlighted divisive, DEI exhibits which are out of touch with mainstream America. We are fully supportive of updating displays to highlight American greatness.”
But to many, these efforts amount to an ideological purge. Historians argue that erasing references to Trump’s impeachments, slavery, and racial injustice undermines the Smithsonian’s mission to preserve and present an honest account of the American experience.
“The Smithsonian is not supposed to be a mouthpiece for any administration,” said Dr. Alicia Wyman, a professor of American History at Georgetown University. “Its responsibility is to the public and to truth. What’s happening here is an attempt to sanitize history to serve a political narrative.”
This is not the first time the Trump administration has been accused of altering public history. Earlier this year, the National Park Service came under fire for removing a photo and quote from Harriet Tubman on its Underground Railroad webpage. The edit replaced Tubman’s image with postage stamps and scrubbed references to slavery. After public outcry, the original content was reinstated.
That incident, while separate from the Smithsonian EO, reflects a broader pattern of historical revisionism under the Trump administration, one that critics say marginalizes the stories of people of color, women, and other historically underrepresented groups.
The Smithsonian Institution, with its 19 museums and more than 137 million artifacts, holds unparalleled power in shaping how history is remembered. As such, changes to its exhibits—particularly those ordered or influenced by political leadership, have far-reaching implications for public understanding.
Trump’s presidency and subsequent return to power have been marked by a sustained effort to challenge the narrative authority of institutions like the Smithsonian. From pressuring sports teams to revert to racially insensitive names, to imposing ideological tests on art and education funding, the Trump administration has signaled a clear intent to reshape the nation’s cultural memory.
The removal of his impeachment records from the American Presidency exhibit is just one highly visible consequence.
“The danger,” warns Dr. Wyman, “is that we’ll raise a generation of Americans who aren’t taught the whole story, about Trump, about slavery, about resistance, about reconciliation. Without those truths, we can’t have accountability. And without accountability, we can’t have democracy.”
The Smithsonian says it plans to update the American Presidency exhibit in the future to include “all impeachments,” but gave no timeline. Until then, one of the most consequential chapters in U.S. presidential history, Trump’s dual impeachments and the events that led to them, remains absent from America’s most prestigious historical institution.
And with the Trump administration continuing to exert unprecedented influence over how the nation’s story is told, many wonder just how much of that story will survive intact.
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